Someone Hand Me a Tissue

Okay senior year, I see how you work. 

You wiggle your way into my heart and all the sudden every "last" thing my friends and I do together is almost a total cry sesh. 

With every moment that goes by, the excitement grows and yet so does the reality of what is happening. The girls I have known since before I could even walk are moving on to pursue their dreams in different directions then I may go. And that is cry-worthy in itself. 

My girlies are my world. Through every breakup,  every dance party, every struggle, and every joy, my friends have been by my side. They are the people I share my everything with and they know me inside and out. They are the light at the end of the day when life seems overwhelming and I sure am gonna miss them.

They are the first people I share something with, the girls I laugh with when a hot guy walks by, the ones who make silly jokes in the middle of an important lecture, and the ones who have a big chunk of my heart. 

So this is for you my friends. Thank you for the endless joy, giggles, photo shoots, and gifts you have been in my life. I could not have asked for better friends and I love you more then you will ever know. 

So lets make senior year a year we will never forget. Full of many more countless memories, thousands of photos, and enough love to get us by for a lifetime. 

A Carefree Freedom

I went to the beach on Thursday and I am now having withdrawals. With my toes buried in the sand and a Ruby's milkshake in hand, the day could not have been more perfect.

My heart soars and dances a little inside when I think of the endless smiles, the perfect sandcastles we passed, and the continuous laughs that couldn't be contained that day because it reminds me of my God who created this for our enjoyment. To think He knew that we would need a place where we could be silly little kids again and not care about a thing in the world is incredible.

To see his creation sprawled out in an endless mirage of blues with surfers, children, and crazy teenagers all enjoying the beauty of it in a different way, is what put a smile on my face that day.

And as I walked to the car that night, after eating carne asado tacos with people I love, a thought dawned on me. "I can live like this all the time," I thought to myself.

God has not put a limit on my freedom or enjoyment that only exists on the sandy coast of California. Instead, He has blessed me with a freedom that exists in every circumstance, every environment, and every culture:and I get to live into that. I don't have to be free from stress or worry only at the beach because I can rest in the fact that my God is victorious.

His promises are true and real and raw and all I have to do is trust. So now as I sit at home, longing to be at the beach without a care in the world, I am gently being reminded to live in that freedom: every second, every minute, and every hour of the day.

RockStars.

As this scary world of college is quickly approaching, my heart is excited and yet terrified.  Excited for the opportunity and blessing it is to get an education and to begin to be independent. Terrified of the unknown and of leaving the only town, family, friends, and church Ive ever known.

But you know what? Im okay.

No matter how big and unrealistic my dreams seem to me right now, I am 100% trusting that God will put me where He wants me. If He doesn't want me to go to UCLA, then so be it, I won't. If he wants me to be a missionary, then Lord give me the courage to go.

But through all of this, my hope is that my faith and trust will not waver, because I know that He is walking me through all this. Even when I break down in the middle of writing my personal statements with trembling hands, I know that He is taking care of me and giving me the strength to continue. Even when Ive taken the ACT three times and still haven't gotten the score that I need, He's there; softly and gently, reminding me to let go of the path I have planned for my life and to start letting him guide me in His direction.

So thank you Lord.

Thank you for reminding me that it's all gonna be okay.